STRUGGLING WITH WRITING?

Transcription

1 STRUGGLING WITH WRITING? Introduction Five writers: which one are you? DCU Student Learning Resources Office of the Vice-President for Learning Innovation and Registrar

2 2 STRUGGLING WITH WRITING? INTRODUCTION FIVE WRITERS: WHICH ONE ARE YOU? Introduction Writing is an integral part of university learning. Writing, as a form of communication, is also a lifelong skill, essential in most workplaces for graduates across all disciplines. For some firstyear students completing a university writing assignment can be a struggle. You may already have had feedback on written assignments stating any combination of the following remarks: Be more critical More analysis needed Grammar needs attention Improve your structure Develop your argument Referencing needs work Plagiarism! Producing a coherent and interesting piece of work (from making sense of an assignment title, to gathering thoughts and ideas together, to incorporating salient ideas from readings, right through to the actual writing process) can seem like a daunting task for many students. Feedback on a student s first written assignment can therefore often be disheartening. Most often what is needed is an understanding of the ways in which you need to adapt what you already know and do in writing, to the writing that you have to complete at university level. While essay writing is not the only form of writing at universities it is the form that students seem to find particularly difficult. The variety of writing that you will have to do depends largely on

3 3 your programme of study. In many modular programmes you may take inter-disciplinary modules which draw on a range of perspectives from both the natural and social sciences, as well as from the humanities. Or, you may be following vocational and professional programmes e.g. nursing or business studies where you might find you are likely to have to write a variety of discipline-specific reports. Within any one programme there may be different kinds of assessment from the traditional essay. Examples include report writing, summaries, articles, reviews, collaborative writing, dissertations and electronic writing. The units included in the Writing section of this resource (of which this is the introductory unit) are general guides and the techniques suggested will help students make a coherent response in written assignments. While they specifically relate to essay writing, many of the strategies described are transferable to other types of writing. It is very important to remember that writing essays and other assignments is about much more than getting good grades. As you write you are making meaning and creating links between your learning from writing, from reading of various texts, and from other activities and events. Writing is therefore fundamentally about learning. As you learn to write in a particular way for a particular subject you are learning how to make sense of that subject. Each academic discipline has its own specific ways of writing and of organising knowledge and over time you will gain an understanding of the particular conventions of your discipline. Ideally, then, all learning skills, including writing skills, should be developed within the parameters of your discipline(s). Learning objectives At the end of this unit you will be able to: - understand the importance of writing in the university learning process, - understand the links between writing and making sense of your discipline, - reflect on how you write and explore your possible strengths and weaknesses, - explore some straightforward ways of constructing your sentences in a clear manner to convey your meaning as directly as possible, - use strategies to increase your awareness of formal written English, - see how the five units of this resource on writing (of which this is the first) fit together to enable you to complete a coherent writing assignment.

4 4 Five writers 1 : which one are you? Knowing and understanding how you write will enable you to become a better writer. By thinking about your approach to writing you will become aware of your habits. The exercises in this section enable that process of reflection to occur. You will also be able to explore the strengths and weaknesses of each of the styles of writing presented and learn something from all styles. Exercise 1 Look at the cartoons overleaf. Think about how you approach your writing. Which cartoon comes closest to the way that you write? Have you always been that type of writer? Perhaps none of the types fit you, not even loosely (see OR under the cartoons). If so, draw your own cartoon for how you work, plus 2-3 lines of description (e.g. I use different approaches, depending on the situation, with no real favourite ). Exercise 2 Think about the differences between your type of writing and each of the others. Choose from the qualities in the box below (or their opposites, given in [ ]) to complete the grid thereunder. [Lack of] focus A unified whole [In-] Coherence Attention to detail [Lack of] fluency Scope/breadth Flexibility [Rigidity] Coping with bulk [No] clear structure Missing key ideas Irrelevant digression Missed deadlines [Lack of] thoroughness Seizing the ready-made Distorted interpretations Excessive word-count 5 WRITERS: GRID LEAPER CRAZY PAVER RUMINATOR BLUEPRINTER MAP READER Potential Strengths (i.e. seems good for..) Potential Weaknesses (i.e. may lead to..) 1 This section uses exercises developed by Mario Petrucci (2005) for The Royal Literary Fund. (Last accessed, December 2007).

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6 6 Five writers exercises: concluding remarks The purpose of these exercises was to help you to explore and understand your method(s) of writing. You should now have some insights about the way(s) in which you approach writing and how your approach compares to other ways of approaching writing. Awareness of your automatic habits in writing, and openness to learning from other styles, are essential starting blocks in developing and improving your writing skills. Let s start with the sentence: keeping it simple In this introductory unit it is useful to start with the basics and consider the fundamental unit in writing: the sentence. The secret to writing a good sentence is to keep it simple. Many students think that the use of complicated sentence structure will lend gravity to their work. Instead, more often than not, this makes their writing difficult to read. Listen to the audio clip Tricks of the Writer s Trade at: This audio explores some straightforward methods of constructing your writing in a clear, engaging manner to convey your meaning as directly as possible. Grammar and punctuation Many students equate good writing with having a good knowledge of grammar and punctuation. Many consider the formal structures of written English to be their main stumbling blocks in writing a good assignment. While there is no doubting the importance of good grammar and punctuation, successful writing involves much more than this. If you work through the units on writing in this resource you will gain an understanding of what is required and what is involved in the process of completing written assignments. It will become easier for you to address more formal issues of grammar and punctuation. Resources in this regard are provided in the unit, Questioning the answer: content, balance, style and grammar. Formal English For your university assignments you will be expected to use formal written English. Many students find this form unnatural at first, but over time and through reading and writing, these

7 7 formal structures will become easier to understand and apply. By engaging actively with your programme readings (see unit, Active and critical reading ) you will become familiar with the conventions of academic writing particular to your discipline. Another good way of increasing your familiarisation with formal English is to read the broadsheet newspapers e.g. The Irish Times. In this regard it is more useful to read articles about issues rather than reported stories. Some sound advice about what everyday words to avoid in presenting your academic work from the University of Hull at: ademic.swf Six short online exercises are provided for you to try. Concluding remarks: overview of the writing learning resource The purpose of these writing units is to assist students who struggle with writing. A number of techniques are outlined which will help students make a coherent response in written assignments. While they specifically relate to essay writing, many of the strategies described are transferable to other types of writing. The remaining units are outlined below and represent a suggested task breakdown to take you through the written assignment from preparation through to completion. Remember that these suggestions are general : in time you will develop your own personal approach to writing assignments. As you become familiar with your discipline-specific discourse you will master an appropriate approach to accommodate its particular conventions. STEP 1 Interpreting the question: developing a plan STEP 2 Answering the question: structure, argument and analysis STEP 3 Questioning the answer: content, balance, style and grammar STEP 4 Working with sources: referencing and plagiarism

8 8 END OF UNIT: ACTION 1. Record the results of the reflective exercises on your approach to writing in your reflective learning journal. (See unit, Reflective learning: keeping a reflective learning journal ). 2. Practice writing clear, simple sentences that convey your meaning as directly as possible. 3. Make a conscious effort to familiarise yourself with formal written English. (See units, Active and critical reading, and Questioning the answer: content, balance, style and grammar ).